Description:
So, how does a whole sport write an autobiography? With wit, grace, and insight--thank you--if the sport has seen as much, lived as much, and contributed as much verbiage as America's national pastime. Wallace, who also assembled the beautiful Baseball Anthology, has collected bits and pieces of obscure autobiographies and other written arcana from some of the best who ever played. This literary montage--stitched together with flowing narrative--is a remarkably clever, lively, and, at times, quite moving account of what it's like to play big-league ball, and just how hard a craft the game is. For the fan, that may be the equivalent of going yard, but it barely rounds first in the entirety of what Autobiography offers; a coffee-table volume in size, it gathers a spectacular lineup of photographs, from Cap Anson booting a grounder in the 19th century to the immediacy of Tony Gwynn's sweet swing, with baubles in between, like Lou Gehrig as a boy, Cy Young milking cows, a great catch by Roberto Clemente, and an amazing sequence capturing submarine pitcher Carl Mays's startling delivery. The book's unique format allows players to compare notes on subjects as varied as the skills required for individual fielding positions to chasing a record to the difficulty of hanging up your spikes when it's all over. Gwynn and Babe Ruth weigh in on hitting with Hank Aaron and Jimmy Foxx; Bill Dickey and Johnny Bench trade catching tips; and Mickey Mantle, Honus Wagner, and Lou Gehrig share the nerves they experienced breaking into the show. These virtual dialogues across time form a skilled double-play combo with the photos that accompany them. They are Autobiography's strengths, but there's a weakness in the format, as well: nothing is examined too deeply. Still, that's not really the book's intent. Like any life story, it sets out to cover as much ground as it can, establish its own agenda, revel in what's good, air out some dark corners, and not dwell too long anywhere. To that end, Autobiography certainly scores. For fans who care about the game and adore its history, it should score pretty big. --Jeff Silverman
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